We are into the final week of July, with teams looking to show that they are contenders ahead of the trade deadline.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (64-30) | Last week: 1
The Dodgers stayed hot in their return to action, shutting down a rival Giants squad that had some momentum before the time off. Los Angeles will look to push their winning streak to double digits when they face the Nationals beginning tonight.
2. Houston Astros (64-32) | Last week: 3 (+1)
Following the doubleheader sweep of the Yankees on Thursday, the Astros rank as the top team in the American League. The ‘Stros also ended the winning streak of the Mariners—and did it emphatically with a sweep.
3. New York Yankees (66-31) | Last week: 2 (-1)
At least the Yankees bounced back with a series victory versus the Orioles, and they still have the most wins in baseball. During the All-Star Game, Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole and Braves pitcher Max Fried mic’d up was among the highlights:
.@GerritCole45 and @MaxFried32 talked about their illustrious hitting careers while mic'd up during the third inning 😂 pic.twitter.com/kirdjOlK5w
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 20, 2022
4. New York Mets (59-37) | Last week: 4
The Mets began the second half with a series loss to the Padres, and things will remain tough with a two-game Subway Series at Citi Field starting tomorrow.
5. Atlanta Braves (58-39) | Last week: 5
Atlanta is just 1.5 games behind New York in the NL East, and they’ll look to knock the struggling Phillies further down the standings with a matchup in Philadelphia to begin this week.
6. Toronto Blue Jays (53-43) | Last week: 11 (+5)
With their 28-5 thrashing of the Red Sox, the Blue Jays were two runs away from tying the modern MLB record for runs in a game. Toronto has won six games in a row and look like a scary team with a little over two months remaining in the regular season.
7. Milwaukee Brewers (53-43) | Last week: 10 (+3)
I thought the Brewers might have needed the break more than any team, and they returned with a series sweep of the Rockies while extending their NL Central lead over the Cardinals.
8. San Diego Padres (54-43) | Last week: 9 (+1)
The Padres won their series versus the Mets, but All-Star pitcher Joe Musgrove allowed four runs in yesterday’s loss and has allowed nine in his previous two outings. He did pitch well in the All-Star Game though, and hopefully will get back on track soon.
9. Tampa Bay Rays (53-43) | Last week: 7 (-2)
The Rays drop a couple of spots in the rankings after losing their series versus the Royals. The upcoming stretch when Tampa takes on Baltimore will be huge.
10. Seattle Mariners (51-45) | Last week: 6 (-4)
The Astros handled the Mariners and ended the record-breaking winning streak heading into the All-Star break, but Seattle gets another crack at Houston with a four-game series starting on Thursday.
11. Minnesota Twins (52-44) | Last week: 14 (+3)
12. St. Louis Cardinals (51-46) | Last week: 12
13. Philadelphia Phillies (49-46) | Last week: 8 (-5)
14. Cleveland Guardians (48-46) | Last week: 16 (+2)
15. San Francisco Giants (48-47) | Last week: 13 (-2)
16. Chicago White Sox (48-48) | Last week: 18 (+2)
17. Baltimore Orioles (47-48) | Last week: 17
18. Boston Red Sox (48-48) | Last week: 15 (-3)
19. Miami Marlins (45-50) | Last week: 19
20. Texas Rangers (43-51) | Last week: 21 (+1)
21. Colorado Rockies (43-53) | Last week: 20 (-1)
22. Arizona Diamondbacks (42-53) | Last week: 22
23. Los Angeles Angels (40-55) | Last week: 24 (+1)
24. Chicago Cubs (38-57) | Last week: 28 (+4)
25. Pittsburgh Pirates (40-56) | Last week: 23 (-2)
26. Cincinnati Reds (36-58) | Last week: 27 (+1)
27. Kansas City Royals (38-57) | Last week: 25 (-2)
28. Detroit Tigers (38-58) | Last week: 26 (-2)
29. Oakland Athletics (35-63) | Last week: 29
30. Washington Nationals (32-65) | Last week: 30